Xero has issued an apology to its community of accountants and bookkeepers after two separate incidents unsettled advisers, with UK Managing Director Kate Hayward addressing both directly.
The first involved an influencer who spoke about linking Xero to Claude and claimed the integration had cut her accounting costs substantially. Once concerns surfaced, Xero took the post down and is now tightening oversight of its influencer and affiliate partnerships.
The second stemmed from Xero Analytics: some users who had already viewed their analytics on their dashboards also received an automated monthly summary email sent via Syft. Hayward clarified that this email went out specifically to users who had previously accessed the analytics feature.
Coming one after the other, the two incidents unsettled accountants and bookkeepers, largely because both touched on how advisers fit into supporting small business clients. Hayward maintained that the analytics email wasn’t meant to sideline advisers, though she conceded it may have disrupted established client workflows and relationships.
Two Separate Incidents
Addressing the influencer post, Hayward said its messaging didn’t align with Xero’s actual position and urged advisers to raise concerns with the company rather than the individual who posted it.
She acknowledged the difficulty of the past week for many in the community, noting that people at Xero felt it too because they genuinely care, and offered an apology. She stressed that none of what happened was an attempt to undercut the essential role advisers play for small business clients, and that the company’s strategy and its commitment to the adviser community remain unchanged. What the week did do, she said, was serve as a reminder to be more intentional, consistent, and visible in showing that commitment, something she said only happens by listening to and working alongside advisers.
In a more detailed message to the adviser community, Hayward explained that Xero acted swiftly once the post came to its attention and is now reworking how it manages external promotional relationships.
She noted that an influencer had described connecting Xero with Claude and said doing so had saved her considerable accounting fees, a post many advisers had seen. Hayward said she responded on LinkedIn as soon as the issue was raised, had the post taken down quickly, and that Xero is now strengthening controls across all of its influencer and affiliate relationships as a result. She said the message didn’t reflect her own views or those held within Xero, apologised for the incident, and asked that any concerns be directed at Xero rather than the influencer, since responsibility for the process rests with the company.
The Analytics Email
The second incident concerned automated reporting generated through Xero Analytics via Syft. Hayward confirmed that the monthly email had gone to users who’d previously accessed Xero Analytics through their dashboards.
For accounting practices, the issue wasn’t just that clients received analytics content directly, it was the timing, landing soon after the influencer controversy. Hayward acknowledged that this sequencing added to advisers’ frustration and may have interfered with existing workflows and client relationships.
She noted that anyone wanting to stop receiving the automated email can turn it off through their analytics dashboard settings, and apologised for the disruption it caused to practices and their clients.
Hayward explained that shortly after the influencer situation, some advisers discovered that users who’d accessed Xero Analytics on their dashboards were also receiving an automated monthly email via Syft. She said she understood why this stung, particularly coming right on the heels of the earlier controversy, and reiterated that the email wasn’t designed to bypass advisers’ role. She recognised that it may have disrupted workflows and relationships between advisers and their clients, noted that the email can be switched off from the analytics dashboard settings, and apologised again for any disruption caused.
Xero’s Relationship With Advisers
Xero framed the apology as part of a wider effort to reassure accountants and bookkeepers of their standing within its business model, given the central role advisers play in supporting small businesses that rely on the software.
Hayward said the two incidents had pushed the company to reflect on how it engages with its adviser community, reaffirming that advisers remain central to Xero’s work with small businesses.
She said the past week’s events had affected people across Xero, who feel the impact because the relationship with advisers has always mattered and will continue to. Looking beyond the immediate incidents, she reiterated that Xero’s founding purpose, making life easier for small businesses and the advisers who support them, hasn’t changed, and that the company wants to use this moment of industry change and uncertainty to reflect on how it engages with advisers. She closed by saying the week served as a reminder to be more deliberate, consistent, and collaborative going forward.
